Hello all. I developed a new coin site and I'm looking for some feedback. If it is against site policy to post links, my apologies. The address is: http://www.coinphoto.com At it's core, the site allows you to rate coin photos and view rankings and comments. I've uploaded a few photos of my personal coins, a few from friends and a few from the Internet. All thoughts, comments, and concerns are appreciated. I'm open to any ideas that will make the site better. P.S., any uploads you wish to submit would be appreciated as well. Thanks, cfCoin
i like the site overall ... the ratings idea is cool I would like it better if you loaded perhaps 10 coins at once and you could vote on the ones that you felt strongly about. it took too long to load each subsequent coin. Also you need a better banner ... it's too simple and almost cheap looking. See if you can come up with a banner that is more beautiful and professional. not sure but did you have a link on the site where you could see the top 10, 20, or 50 coins based on ranking? that would be cool
Sorry, Winged, but I couldn't disagree more; I like the clean simplicity of the banner. It doesn't strike me as "cheap" at all. I say this having been a professional graphic designer for eight years. In fact, a common beginner's mistake is to junk things up, thinking that more is better. Just take a look at facebook, LinkedIn, photobucket, etc. to see how wrong this is. The banner might not be perfect yet, but it serves its function. Overall, for me the site needs some kind of organization of purpose; it seems it would get tedious simply rating coins at random. What's the point of the act of rating? How does it benefit the user? Etc. Otherwise, I like the look: it's cleanly laid out and the photos are excellent; hope you develop it further and good luck.
Add a resources page and maybe some info on grading. You need more information otherwise the search engine bots will skip over you and you will be in the sandbox. I've been a webmaster for 10 years and I know nothing is better then information. Also the logo is fine but Id make it a little smaller.
I liked it, except for the "Coin Search" feature being nothing more than an affiliate advertising ploy.
My thoughts (and they're just my personal preferences): I liked the mouse-over for the reverse of the coin. I had no problems downloading the images at a Panera free WiFi hotspot. However, I was disappointed that I couldn't zoom in on the photo of the coin if I chose. I'm unsure what the rating is for...I like the coin? I like the photo? It was at this point where I asked myself what the "raison d'etre" of this website was (why is it there?) Am I giving feedback on the coin as a collectible series, or on the quality of the photograph? Maybe a more specific rating (something for the aspects of the photograph (exposure, sharpness, lighting), or give us choices of a few different shots of the same coin to choose from, or something like this. For me, this was the biggest issue - I would love to see a bunch of high-quality photos of coins - but the website, while functional, lacked direction. I enjoyed the coin facts at the bottom of the photo. I'd love to see a "history of this particular coin" in addition to this. Perhaps also an optional query like "Do you think this coin was cleaned?" or "Is this coin uncirculated?" or "What would you grade this coin?" But then again, this would require an option to view higher quality photos. I agree with WingedLiberty on the banner. The website focuses on photos of coins...why not incorporate that motif into the overall design aspects? Instead of a small cartoon of a coin...shrink down a toned photo. I agree that simplicity is a goal here - because the website design shouldn't distract from the photos of the coins - but a beautiful photo of a coin is a reminder of why many coins are works of art and as such (IMO) should be surrounded by high-quality graphics. Instead of the scalloped edging at the top of the white area of the page, again, perhaps, something revolving around the coin photo motif. Plus, the edging is only on the top of the white area, not both sides. It feels asymmetrical to me, but not in a good way. The coin search function was disappointing. I was hoping it would find photos of the coin I asked for. Having it search eBay is technically pointless...I could go to eBay and search for coins (and not get hits on on Morgan dollars by typing in "1869 two cent piece.") BUT...having a search engine that would find photos of that particular coin would be really valuable. I enjoyed the statistics. However, with the 1834-P Capped Bust Half Dime, you list the business strike and proof mintage, but don't mention whether the coin is business or proof. I know the difference on this coin...but many in your audience might not. So, are the statistics for the coin in the photo, or the coin in general? That's all I can think of at the moment...KEEP GOING...I like where you're headed.
I like the simplicity and clean look of the site. However, I would echo a couple of the previous sentiments; I would like to understand the purpose a little more clearly, am I rating the photo, or some arbitrary feeling about the coin itself? Also, the search function, which I thought would give me photos to rate, instead gives me coins to buy. Which then begs the questions, where are these listings pulled from and obviously takes me away from photos towards buying coins. which, if by design, should probably be made a little more clear to the user. Overall though, I like it. I have a question overall though, is a "rate my website" thread okay on here? Because I like it and would love to get feedback on my website as well.
Hello cfCoin. I have my own coin site also, and like where you are going with this. I am a fan of coin art and coin collecting in general. I agree with what was said in this thread. Good luck. Big Ed
Thanks to everyone for the feedback. It is very much appreciated. I've taken some steps to make the site easier to use based various forum members feedback and emails I have received. A little background: I created the site as an exercise to teach myself new programming skills. Over time, it evolved into something a bit more. At its core, COINphoto allows coin (newbies|hobbyists|collectors|graders) to rate the quality of a coin, the quality of a coin's photograph or both. Think of it as a derivative of a web site like HotOrNot dot com where you can rate attractiveness of individuals. I want the site to be fun, and not overly critical or technical... a place to come to every so often for a little online *coin interaction*. My goal is for the site to expand from "user contributions". That is why I created a tool for users to upload his/her coins to the site for review and inclusion to the site. I've already had a few contributions. Please keep the comments coming. I have thick skin...
